


Something I Can Never Have

by enchanted_doughnut



Series: Obsession | nøissësbØ [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Minor Character Death, Obsession AU, Swearing, X-Chanyeol Has Anger Issues, X-EXO
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22046569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enchanted_doughnut/pseuds/enchanted_doughnut
Summary: All Chanyeøl wanted was peace and quiet. Just a few hours alone, away from his irritating ‘allies’ or else he’d lose the last of his patience and something (or someone) would end up on fire. So it was just his luck that an EXO member stumbled across him, instead.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Series: Obsession | nøissësbØ [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586644
Comments: 41
Kudos: 301





	Something I Can Never Have

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t even know what happened here… I didn’t want to write a sequel to Is This Real because I knew it would end up a multi-chapter, angsty mess, and I couldn’t mentally commit to that. However, the idea didn’t leave me alone, so I thought, ‘hey, why don’t I write another EXO/X-EXO one shot, that sort of touches on those ideas, but is different.’
> 
> And then almost 12k words later, I still end up writing an angsty mess, just for a whole other reason. I knew Baekhyun would come with problems, but Chanyeøl’s I was not prepared for!
> 
> So, this fic is in the same universe as Is This Real, and has an overlapping timeline. I would recommend reading it beforehand, just to get a deeper understanding, but I think this should be fine on its own, if the other isn’t your cup of tea!
> 
> Also, just a quick summary of Baekhyun’s powers in this universe: I’ve based one of his abilities from Alice in The Magicians, and her Discipline Phosphoromancy. She can bend and manipulate the light around her, and from this, she can make herself invisible.
> 
> Enjoy~

🔥☀️

_He had some memories of before. Dream-like visions of floating underwater, being gently lolled around in a warm cocoon. Nothing bothered him. Nothing hurt. Everything was peaceful. Sometimes, he saw blurry shapes, beyond. White figures with red heads moving around. Watching him._

_They didn’t bother him. Why would they? He didn’t have thoughts or desires. He was content and warm, floating in his small, timeless universe. But then it was ripped away from him and he was thrust out into a cold, heavy, world._

  


_Everything was painful. Things were beeping loudly and bright lights flashed above him. The blurry figures he saw from afar were crowded around, touching him. They made noises he didn’t understand; complex sounds they communicated with as they hurt him._

_The new world was awful. Noises made his ears ache, and the lights were painful. When he tried closing his eyes, unfeeling hands pried them open. He gasped for breath, a strange movement he didn’t understand, only knowing he needed to. But something down his throat prevented it, and the more he tried to breathe, the more it moved, pressing against the walls in his throat and making him gag._

_He squirmed and flailed, but he was strapped down. His wrists and ankles were tightly bound, as was his chest and head. He felt something flare up inside of him, coming as naturally to him as the breathing did. He didn’t understand it, but his body did._

_The white figures started making loud noises. High-pitched sounds, with none of the complexity from before. Everything was brighter and the cold, white lights became warm. The restraints snapped off his skin and he tried to move but instead of floating, he fell._

_Then something excruciatingly cold flooded his body, quenching the warm feeling inside of him. Every part of him was in pain and he made the same noises the white figures before did. The freezing pain didn’t stop, and his head felt foggy. The bright lights faded to black and he felt nothing more._

🔥☀️

 _"Subject 61, your departure from Base X was unauthorised. Please return immediately.”_ The static orders crackled through the hand radio lying on the rooftop. 

Chanyeøl stretched his arms out and arched his back off the dirty concrete, his leather jacket and pants squeaking with the movement. He was lying on the top of an old building, enjoying the peace and quiet as he stared at the open sky above him. The permanent haze seemed clearer today on the ruined planet. The red sun was visible, burning against the murky, orange sky, and Chanyeøl even saw birds flying past, earlier. The filthy rats with wings chirped merrily as they soared through the air, and being a figure of calmness and serenity, it didn’t bother him. 

_"Subject 61, you are in a hostile location. Please return within Red Force perimeters where you can be observed.”_

“Shut up,” Chanyeøl snapped at the radio. Of course he had gone out of Red Force perimeters. He wanted to get away from them, and somewhere Chën couldn’t watch him through his cameras, that fucking pervert. 

Chanyeøl’s lips curled up and he felt anger flare up inside of him. He had barely been gone a couple of hours and he was already being hassled. All he wanted was a day away from that claustrophobic, mole-shit of a bunker. _One fucking day_ away from Sehůn's brainless rambling, Suhø’s preening, Kāi lurking around like a damn creeper, and whatever the hell Chën and Baëkhyun were up to, because they were planning something and Chanyeøl didn’t want anything to do with it. 

When he woke up that morning, anger was already lodged in his chest like a ticking bomb. He couldn’t explain why - there was no real reason _why_ \- but he knew if he had to spend the day trapped underground with those festering, ingrown toenails called his ‘allies’, he’d lose his shit and something would get burned. 

So, being as intelligent and responsible as he was, he left the base, stole a motorbike from a well-off a scavenger, and rode until he stopped thinking about the smell of burning flesh and charred bones. He found himself a spot on the rooftop of old commercial building that had faded signs for accounting and financial firms, and stretched out to rest. 

At least that _was_ the plan.

_“Subject 61, please return to Base -”_

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Chanyeøl jumped to his feet, his chest heaving like a raging animal. The fire that burst from him came out as naturally as his bellowing did. 

_“...zzZZZ return to… zzz-unauthorizzzZZ…”_ The radio warped and melted beneath his fire, shrivelling into a lump of black plastic and wires. 

Breathing heavily, Chanyeøl swore loudly as the putrid fumes of the plastic hit his nose, tainting the polluted air even more. He stomped around the rooftop, his anger and irritation boiling. 

Why did he even bring the radio?! All it did was annoy the ever-loving fuck out of him. If Red Force really needed him back they would just send Kāi to collect him. They had his co-ordinates from the tracking device implanted in his neck, they knew where he was. 

Something creaked and Chanyeøl spun around to see the door leading the rooftop slowly shut. Chanyeøl’s eyes narrowed as they darted around, seeing no-one. Holding out his hand, he drew a small flame.

The door could have opened and closed on its own. There wasn’t a single building in the dense cities that wasn’t falling apart from disrepair or damage from the war. But what Chanyeøl was willing to put his bets on, was Baëkhyun, being the little prick that he was, was trying to sneak up on him. Red Force must have sent him and Kāi, after all. 

Chanyeøl squinted, trying to see some kind of invisible warping in the air. Only an idiot would give Baëkhyun the benefit of the doubt. Fool him once, shame on Baëkhyun, fool him twice and he deserved getting poked in the arse with a rapier. 

The flame in his hand flickered.

“There you are, you fucker!” Chanyeøl yelled, sending a wave of fire out. He heard a yelp and almost hollered in joy. If he wasn’t so annoyed, he might have. “Fuck off, I’m not coming back! Give me a fucking day of peace without listening to you shitheads…” 

Chanyeøl’s voice trailed off, and for one of the few moments in his life, he found him stunned speechless. It didn’t last long. “What the fuck?!” He exclaimed, jumping back. 

Lying on the ground wasn’t Baëkhyun, it was his damn EXO counterpart. When Chanyeøl’s flames flew towards him, he flattened himself on the ground with his arms thrown over his head, all concentration of his invisibility shield gone. When the fire ended, he peered up, his messy, white-blonde hair covering his startled face. 

Chanyeøl swore to himself, looking around. If one EXO was there, then others couldn’t be far away. He never should have come out so far on his own! He needed to contact Red Force and - 

“FUCK!” Chanyeøl yelled, remembering the melted radio. Forget a shovel, he had dug his own grave with a fucking excavator. He was going to die in EXO territory and his tombstone would read: _Dumbass Clone._

Fuck it. If they wanted a fight, he’d give them one. He’d burn down the whole city, hopefully with at least one of them included. There would be nothing left but crumbling, black buildings and smoke. If he really let his power go, he wouldn’t even have a body left for them to piss on. 

The EXO pushed himself to his feet, reaching for the sword on his hip. He was still pale and shaken, but his hand was steady as he withdrew the rapier. The cold glint of the metal was a sharp contrast to the rugged denim he wore; patched and frayed from years of warfare. 

Chanyeøl needed to keep him at a distance. He hadn’t engaged with this EXO often, as he tended to get tunnel vision when his own origin appeared. However, he had sparred with Baëkhyun enough times to know how lethal he was in close range. If Baëkhyun’s blade touched your skin, see you later, good luck in your next life. And his origin, _Baekhyun,_ was even better than him. 

Flames burst from Chanyeøl’s hands, flying toward Baekhyun. He tried keeping on the offence, but the fencing master was quick, nimbly sidestepping the fire Chanyeøl threw at him. 

“What did you mean, you’re ‘not coming back’?” Baekhyun asked.

“Exactly what I said, genius,” Chanyeøl grunted, frustrated as Baekhyun kept dodging his attacks. With a wave of his arms, he sent two staggered walls of fire at Baekhyun. He ducked out of the way of the first, but didn’t see the second until too late, and ended up doing a rather impressive, leaping roll out of the way. “I thought you were Baëkhyun.”

Baekhyun’s head shot up. He looked uneasy. “He’s here?”

The gears in Chanyeøl’s head turned rapidly. “Yeah, that’s right,” he lied, confidently. “Kāi’s around here, too. He brought us here. Got first-class tickets on his bullet train express ride.”

Baekhyun looked even more troubled. Deep lines appeared between his brows, and his teeth clenched together. The rapier dropped lower, no longer in a proper guard position. He bit his lip. “If you thought I was my clone, why did you throw fire at me?” He asked.

“‘Cause he’s a fucking little shit who doesn’t know the meaning of personal boundaries,” Chanyeøl huffed.

“That’s an extreme reaction to not wanting someone close to you,” Baekhyun said.

“Not when if they get close, you end up a pincushion. Which I don’t particularly fancy becoming, so take this as your first and only fucking warning. If you take even one step towards me and I’ll turn you into pork crackling.”

Baekhyun opened and closed his mouth several times, like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind. “I don’t want to fight you,” he eventually settled on. 

Chanyeøl scoffed. “Yeah, and I’m fucking Santa Claus.”

Baekhyun’s tense expression shifted and his lips twitched. “You make a beautiful couple.”

Chanyeøl gawked at him for several seconds, before letting out a loud, barking laugh. “What the fuck?! You fucking weirdo.”

“How do you know who Santa Claus is?”

“What, you thought I grew up in a hole underground?” Chanyeøl paused. That was actually true. “I saw it in a movie.”

Baekhyun looked interested. His eyes had lit up, his expression becoming almost child-like. “Really? I didn’t realise that was something you liked to do. Watch movies, I mean.” 

Chanyeøl was deeply uncomfortable with how their conversation was going. They should be trying to kill one another, not talking about their hobbies. “How the fuck would you? You expect us to whip out tea and cake in the middle of a battle and have a chat about it?” 

“How did you even come to watch them? Was it a part of your…” Baekhyun gestured with his spare hand, searching for the right words, “education of our world?”

“My doctor used to let me watch them as a reward when I didn’t set things on fire,” Chanyeøl admitted, stiffly. 

“Your doctor? You mean a Red Force scientist?” 

“No. Yes. Fuck, I don’t know. She was the doctor who mentored me.” Why the hell was Baekhyun interested in that? He probably wanted information on Red Force. “Fuck off, I’m not telling you anything more.”

Chanyeøl flinched as Baekhyun’s expression changed into that of a kicked puppy. He’d seen it on Baëkhyun enough times to know what followed. But as he braced himself, ready for the assault, nothing happened. Baekhyun just continued to stare at him with wide, dejected eyes.

“I didn’t come here looking to fight you,” he said, “though it wouldn’t be wise if you stayed here. Some of the locals told me they saw a mons... t-they saw someone suspicious, and asked me to investigate, so your presence here is known. It would be best if you left.”

Chanyeøl snorted. “And this is the part where you make me?”

“If I have to,” Baekhyun agreed. “Though, I would appreciate it if you left without fighting.” 

“You’d _‘appreciate’_ it? I’d appreciate you sucking my dick,” Chanyeøl snapped back, mockingly, and Baekhyun flushed an interesting shade of red. “Fine, whatever. I’m leaving. I came here to get some fucking peace, and I can’t now I’m being bothered by you.”

Chanyeøl kept a wide distance from Baekhyun as he walked to the door. Keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn’t try anything underhanded, he saw a thoughtful expression on his face. 

“If you want somewhere quiet, go to the old amusement park by the docks,” Baekhyun said. “The locals don’t go there since there’s nothing of value. You wouldn’t be bothered by anyone.” 

“Yeah, whatever.” Chanyeøl slammed the creaky door shut as hard as he could, leaving Baekhyun on the rooftop. A fucking amusement park... If he wanted to see that he wouldn’t have left the Red Force base in the first place. 

🔥☀️

_“I heard you had an accident in the training room, today.” The elderly doctor took off her red mask, tucking it under her arm. Her grey hair was pulled in a low bun, her white coat spotless. Her expression was stern as she looked at the boy with pink hair lounging on the sofa, watching television._

_The boy grunted, not looking at her. The doctor picked up the remote and switched it off. “What the fuck?!” He cried out._

_“Watch your language, Subject 61. I’ve told you before, I despise it.”_

_“The others are allowed to swear.”_

_“The other subjects have different mentors,” she said. “You are under my care, so you will follow what I say. Now tell me what happened today.”_

_“It wasn’t my fault,” the boy argued. “Chën started it.”_

_“And you continued it. You can’t let others provoke like that!”_

_“He was electrocuting me! I told him to stop, but he kept going! Look at my arm.” The boy rolled up his sleeve, showing bright red, veiny marks on his skin where Chën’s lightning had struck him._

_“You should have walked away. When you find yourself getting angry, you need to remove yourself from what’s causing you distress. Find somewhere quiet where you can calm down.”_

_“But I don’t want to calm down!” The boy shouted. “I want to burn things! It makes me feel good!”_

_The doctor sat down on the sofa beside the boy, and took one of his hands in her wrinkled ones. “You have the most difficult power out of everyone to master. It reacts to your emotions, but you can’t let it control you. You need to show Red Force you are capable.”_

_“I am capable!”_

_“Red Force wants more from you than just volatile power,” she warned. “We already have power, we didn’t need to create you for that. What we need is power we can control. The wrong people will get hurt, otherwise.”_

_The boy squirmed. “I didn’t mean to hurt them,” he mumbled._

_The doctor smiled at him. She brushed his hair away from his forehead and placed a gentle kiss on his brow. “I know, Chanyeøl. That’s why we need to work hard, together.”_

🔥☀️

The screams were like music to his ears. Chanyeøl cackled, the fire around him burning higher. Wind roared passed him like a hurricane, picking up his flames and feeding them. The fire grew, spiralling up and up, engulfing the buildings around him. 

Buildings creaked and groaned; windows shattered and frontings were ripped off. Shards of glass, timber and metal flew around in the burning storm, ready to shred anyone or thing that got to close. Engulfed in flames, a tower gave a loud groan and began to topple. Metal and concrete fell to the ground with an earth shuddering boom, and clouds of dust and ash billowed, mixing into the fire and storm. 

The screams of hidden scavengers grew louder, as they feared for their worthless lives. 

_“If the pair of you don’t stop messing around, you’ll end up buried underneath that rubble!”_ Suhø’s voice yelled through his earpiece. _“ And if that happens, I’ll drown you under it to make sure the job’s done!”_

Sehůn’s laughter echoed his own, as Suhø’s exasperation fueled their bloodlust. Chanyeøl was about to yell back - to tell him he could stop them himself if he wasn’t so scared of getting his hair messed up - when a flying piece of lumbar connected with his temple, sending him to the ground. 

It took Chanyeøl several moments to regain his senses. His face was pressed to hot bitumen, his mouth tasted like blood. His body felt like lead, and was horrifyingly unresponsive. Opening his eyes, he watched a blurry, yellow shape approach, and a rough shoe nudged him. 

“Are you dead?!” Sehůn always knew how to be helpful. 

“Owww, fuck!” With great effort, Chanyeøl rolled onto his back. His head was spinning, and there was a painful sensation in his ears, like two forces of wind beating against each other. 

Above him, Sehůn turned his head, like a dog catching a foreign scent. “He’s here! You’re on your own, Yeøllie!” 

“What?! You piece of shit, get back here!” Chanyeøl yelled, but Sehůn had already left. The hurricane around him abruptly disappeared with Sehůn, taking his fire out with it. 

As punishment for leaving Red Force territory without proper clearance, Chanyeøl was locked in the underground base for an entire week. He was almost driven mad with boredom. But luckily (though hindsight was always twenty-twenty), Sehůn kept him company and the pair devised a foolproof plan to lure EXO out to fight them:

Go out into a city and start destroying things. 

The only reason they were even allowed to execute it was because, a) Suhø agreed to go with them and keep them in line, and b) the pair of them burnt down half the corridors in the west wing a few days prior, and the threat of it happening again if Chanyeøl remained cooped up was too high. 

Correction. _Sehů_ _n_ burned down the western corridors. While _technically_ it was Chanyeøl’s fire, Sehůn said he was strong enough he could snuff out his flames with his wind, and he clearly overestimated his strength. 

While Chanyeøl unwaveringly stuck to that story, in truth, Sehůn's dumb, smirking face just really rubbed him the wrong way. He wouldn’t deny that Sehůn probably could have blown out his fire if it was small, but Chanyeøl also couldn’t handle him strutting around all cocky and arrogant at _his_ expense.

So, he made a lot of fire. Which Sehůn's wind then only fueled rather than extinguished. It was the only possible outcome, really.

 _"C_ _hanyeøl, if you can’t fight, find somewhere to hide!”_ Suhø yelled at him. 

“Shit!” Chanyeøl yelled, stumbling to his feet as his head spun. Pressing his hands to his temples, they became coated in blood. Fucking hide, of course Suhø would suggest that. But Chanyeøl wasn’t a coward and he was _going_ to fight EXO, and _fuck,_ everything was spinning and he couldn’t even summon flames properly. 

Okay, he’d hide, but only until he stopped seeing double. 

Dragging himself into a nearby, mostly unburnt building, Chanyeøl collapsed against a wall in the hallway. What a quaint little home it was. It still had family portraits on the wall. Wedding photos of a happy man and a blushing bride, children’s school portraits in blazers and ties… If Chanyeøl actually cared, he would have wondered what happened to them. 

_“Go away, Suhø! I don’t need your help fighting him -”_

Chanyeøl ripped the earpiece out and threw on the ground. He closed his eyes, resting his head back against the wall. He could feel blood trickling down his face. Five minutes. He’d be okay after five minutes…

  


Something wet was being dabbed on his face. The wet, rough fabric wiped over his skin, pressing into his wound, and fibres stuck to the coagulated blood, sending shocks of pain through his head. “Owww. Piss off,” Chanyeøl grumbled, trying to batter them away. His hands connected with someone’s arm, who jumped in surprise. Chanyeøl wearily opened his eyes.

“I should let you die here,” Baekhyun snarled, his face puffed up and angry, “after what you did.”

“W-what the fuck did I do?” Chanyeøl slurred, affronted.

“You were burning down half the city while people were trapped in the buildings,” Baekhyun growled, his teeth bared. “It’s lucky we got here in time to stop you.” 

Oh, yeah. “Was trying to get your attention.” Why did he say that?! Fuck, he was concussed. 

Baekhyun’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Congratulations. You did.” 

“What, you’d _appreciate_ it if I tried another method?”

“Yeah, I really fucking would!” Baekhyun snapped back. He pressed the wet cloth hard against Chanyeøl’s wound, making him cry out in pain. 

_“Owww!_ Damn it, that hurts!” 

“Good! You don’t even deserve to be treated! I should just leave you to die and finally rid the world of you.” 

“Well, why the fuck don’t you, then?” Chanyeøl snarled back. The way Baekhyun’s jaw clenched as he didn’t answer told Chanyeøl everything. “You’re weak.”

“I am not,” Baekhyun said, coldly. 

Chanyeøl grinned at him, his teeth bared. “I’m laid out on a platter for you. You should just pick up that little skewer of yours and do what you’re supposed to.” 

Baekhyun glared at Chanyeøl. “I’m not about to kill you while you’re bleeding out of your skull and can’t even stand.” 

Mustering his strength, Chanyeøl lurched forward, grabbing Baekhyun’s rapier. A short scuffle followed. Baekhyun dropped the cloth to wrestle Chanyeøl’s arms away, and the pair ended up tangled on the ground, Baekhyun on his back, with Chanyeøl above him, their arms locked together by their sides.

“What is wrong with you?” Baekhyun spat. Blood was dripping from Chanyeøl’s face onto his forehead and in his hair. 

“Came from a skin graft. What’s your excuse?” 

Baekhyun glared at him, but the effect was lost as he tried to blink away the blood running down into his eyes. More drips fell onto his face, staining his skin with more red. 

Chanyeøl’s head spun and he groaned, resting his forehead against Baekhyun’s. “What are you doing here?” He mumbled.

“I saw you when we arrived,” Baekhyun replied. His voice had softened, but still testy. “You looked terrible; you were bleeding and stumbled into this house. Sehun went after his clone, and I waited, but you never came out.”

Chanyeøl stiffened and pulled back. “Don’t call us that.”

“What?” The blood was obscenely red against his skin. It was smeared on his forehead, sticking to his blonde hair. A small rivet ran down over his eyes, making its way down his cheek to his mouth. 

_“‘Clones’._ If you call me that again I’ll rip your throat out, no matter how pretty you look.” Chanyeøl was so fucking concussed. 

Baekhyun flushed that same bright red again, and squirmed in embarrassment, denim rubbing against patent leather. “Sorry…” 

Chanyeøl grunted and dropped his head on Baekhyun's shoulder, shutting his eyes against the throbbing in his brain. He’ll need to go into the lab when he gets back to base... He should have tried harder to convince Baekhyun to kill him.

“Why are you injured?” Baekhyun asked, softly.

“Block of timber flying around in Sehůn's hurricane,” Chanyeøl mumbled.

“...Oh. I thought you might have been fighting each other.” 

“Why the hell would we be fighting?” 

“Because you said you do?” Baekhyun sounded confused. “On the rooftop, you said you thought that... Baëkhyun was going to attack you.” 

Chanyeøl snorted. “You take everything too seriously.” 

The hands locked tightly around his arms slowly let go. “Get up. I need to stop the bleeding before you pass out, again,” Baekhyun instructed.

Chanyeøl let Baekhyun manhandle him until he was leaning back against the wall. Baekhyun picked up the fallen cloth, frowning at the dirt clinging to it. Grabbing his canteen he poured clean water on the cloth and wrung it out. 

The wet cloth felt nice on his face, as Baekhyun gently wiped away the fresh blood, but Chanyeøl quickly took it back when he moved up to the wound. Hissing, he jerked away, making Baekhyun click his tongue. 

“Hold it for me,” Baekhyun instructed. Chanyeøl gingerly complied, keeping the cloth pressed to his head as Baekhyun dug around in his utility bag. He pulled out a small First-Aid Kit and Chanyeøl snorted.

“Fuck off, I don’t need that.”

“Look at how much blood you’ve lost!” Baekhyun gestured to his body. Chanyeol looked down. Huh. Didn’t his shirt have white stripes, not red ones? 

“Were you a housewife or something, before?” Chanyeøl taunted, as Baekhyun carefully dressed his wound with bandages.

Baekhyun chuckled, quietly. “Nothing like it.”

“You’d make a pretty wife. Doting on your husband, making meals for him and shit.” 

Baekhyun laughed, louder. “Imagining me in an apron? I wouldn’t recommend eating anything I’ve cooked. It barely passes as edible.” 

“Probably better than the dog shit we eat,” Chanyeøl said. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, it’s all _scientifically_ calculated for the optimal levels of nutrients. Looks like shit, tastes like shit. Probably is shit, and they’re just trying to save on resources.”

“You seem awfully familiar with what shit tastes like.” Baekhyun hummed, his lips curling into a teasing smirk.

“You’re a sick fuck, you know that?” And EXO thought _they_ were the messed-up ones. 

Baekhyun leaned back, examining his work. “All done. I think you need stitches, but that should last until you can get back to your base.”

Either Baekhyun was softer than the pillow Chanyeøl stole from Suhø’s bedroom, or he was playing some twisted mind game. Chanyeøl head hurt too much for the latter. “You’re not going to kill me,” he said suspiciously, “and you’re not going to take me hostage. Why don’t you want to torture me for information, or something?” 

Baekhyun’s wide eyes told him he hadn’t even considered it. Chanyeøl was so disgusted it made him want to burn something. 

“How the fuck haven’t we killed you all by now?” He asked, somewhat rhetorically. 

Baekhyun’s face lit up as he smiled at Chanyeøl. “Because EXO are family, and we always have each other’s backs. While we’re powerful on our own, together we’re even stronger.”

“Excuse me while I choke on my own vomit,” Chanyeøl sneered, even more disgusted than before. But rather than recoiling or looking sad, Baekhyun laughed.

_“Yeøllie, are you alive or dead?”_

_“If you can hear us, please respond, Chanyeøl.”_

Static voices came from the earpiece, loud in the abandoned house. “Fuck,” Chanyeøl swore, reaching over for it. “Yeah, I’m alive.” 

_“We’re heading back,”_ Suhø said. _“EXO seemed to have lost one of their own and stopped fighting. I’m calling a retreat while they’re distracted.”_

Chanyeøl and Baekhyun made eye contact. “Oh, yeah. Cool.” Chanyeøl cleared his throat.

_“Where are you?”_

“Umm… inside a house. I’ll come out and find you.”

 _“Be careful,”_ Suhø warned. _“The missing EXO could be lurking around somewhere near you. Unless you’re capable of fighting them, stay put.”_

“I’m not a fucking coward like you,” Chanyeøl shot back. “I’ll burn him to a crisp if I see him.” Even as he avoided looking at Baekhyun, he still saw his eyebrow cock up. 

_“Just don’t do anything stupid,”_ Suhø said, before cutting out.

“You’ll burn me to a crisp, huh?” Baekhyun parroted, making Chanyeøl scowl.

“Shut the fuck up,” he snapped. Muttering under his breath, he added, “I should kick your arse.” 

“Why don’t you?”

“‘Cause I don’t feel like it.” Chanyeøl pushed himself to his feet, clinging to the wall for balance. His vision swam, and Chanyeøl cursed. He would have to go into the lab, he couldn’t hide this. Fuck, he _hated_ the lab. 

“You look awful,” Baekhyun said, standing himself. 

“Look in the mirror before insulting someone, dickweed.” 

“I thought I was a pretty housewife? Your story is all over the place, Chanyeøl,” Baekhyun teased him.

“That’s because I have a fucking concussion. I would never think you’re pretty otherwise,” Chanyeøl snapped back. Why the hell did Baekhyun look upset at that?! When Chanyeøl talked about killing him, he didn’t even bat an eye. But he called him ugly and he stared at Chanyeøl with his stupid, forlorn eyes, again. 

“I’ll go out first,” Baekhyun said, shoving everything back into his bag. His eyes were downcast, avoiding Chanyeøl’s. “Give me a few minutes before coming out, to check it’s clear.”

“Just go invisible. Sehůn and Suhø won’t see you.” 

Baekhyun looked up at him, frowning. “I meant making sure EXO don’t see you,” he said.

Chanyeøl’s mouth gaped open, at a loss for words. He stared at Baekhyun who quickly averted his gaze, adjusting his bag and rapier. 

“I’ll try get them away as quickly as possible,” Baekhyun said. “But if you think you see them, just hide. I’ll do my best to make sure they don’t see you.”

“You…” Chanyeøl didn’t even know what he wanted to say. “You’re fucking stupid, you know that?” 

Baekhyun smiled at him. His eyes were warm and sad, and only one person had ever looked at Chanyeøl like that before. And she was gone. “I know,” he said, and walked out of the house.

Chanyeøl wanted to scream. He punched the wall, his fist going through the plaster. Ripping his bleeding hand out, he tore the bandages off his head. 

🔥☀️

_“Why can’t I go?!” The teenager yelled. “I’m the strongest one out of all of us!”_

_“We need to balance your abilities effectively,” the old doctor said calmly, her face expressionless. “With Subjects 1 and 99 being trialled, it would only hinder your own powers.”_

_“That’s a fucking lie, and you know it!”_

_The doctor’s expression tensed up. “Subject 61, I have told you a thousand times -”_

_“Don’t call me that! My name is Chanyeøl. I’m not a fucking test subject, I’m a person!”_

_The wrinkles on her face seemed exaggerated as she stared at Chanyeøl sadly. She walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She barely touched him before recoiling, hissing in pain. She clutched her burnt hands to her chest._

_“I’ve been working so fucking hard!” Chanyeøl yelled. “I’ve done everything you asked me to. I don’t even get into fights with the others, anymore, I walk away, just like you tell me to. I want to go on this mission!”_

_“You’re not ready.”_

_“I am! I am ready, and I’ll fucking prove it to you!”_

_“Chanyeøl!” The doctor yelled as he stormed out of the room._

_But Chanyeøl didn’t hear her calling after him as he stormed through the underground base. He always struggled with his emotions; it was the one thing that was never good enough for his mentor. His anger was as volatile as his powers, and the two were so tightly interwoven that it consumed him, dulling out everything else._

_He hadn’t realised she had caught up to him, reaching out to him with her burnt hands. He hadn’t realised his powers reacted to her touch. He hadn’t realised why she kept telling him it was so important he control his anger until it was too late._

🔥☀️

The cafeteria was too noisy. Chanyeøl clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms painfully, as his anger ground him down. It was his first night out of the laboratory. It was only him, Sehůn and Kāi in the cafeteria, but Sehůn was being loud and Kāi was also apparently having a talkative day because laughing loudly at whatever bullshit Sehůn was saying. 

Grabbing his spoon with a trembling hand, Chanyeøl scooping up the porridge (and whatever else Red Force mixed into it) and tried to eat. It was thick and bitter, sticking to the insides of his mouth like sludge and he swallowed thickly.

He wasn’t sure how long he had spent in the lab; there was no way of tracking the time when harsh, white lights were always shining on his face, but he’d hazard a guess it was a couple of weeks. They needed to do a thorough examination, the doctors said. He had been too reckless, lately. His behaviour was concerning. They needed to run tests to see if there was some kind of chemical imbalance and make adjustments accordingly. The wound on his head was treated as an afterthought. 

Something shattered, and Sehůn and Kāi laughed louder, banging their fists on the table. Chanyeøl gritted his teeth.

Whatever they did to him in the lab was ripping him apart. His mind was a jumbled mess, he felt worse than he did before. He couldn’t think straight as he was torn between extremes; one minute he was calm, the next overwhelmed by rage, with no provocation. And for Chanyeøl, with rage came fire. 

He fucking _hated_ it. And there was nothing he could do about it, and the hopelessness only angered him more. He was a fucking lab rat for them to prod and poke, then punish when they got a reaction. He just wanted to get away and go somewhere else. Somewhere not like this.

His mind wandered. He wondered what Baekhyun would think if he saw him like this. 

EXO Subject: Baekhyun. ID: 06-05-92. The anomaly with the ability to bend and manipulate light, successfully duplicated by Red Force. Why had he been so worried about him, before? What kind of person cared about the wellbeing of their enemy? No wonder they had achieved such destruction before EXO managed to contain it. They didn’t have the resolve to do what needed to be done. 

He remembered Baekhyun lying beneath him with blood on his face. What would happen if their roles had been reversed? If he had happened across Baekhyun, injured and alone? 

Arms wrapped around his shoulders and a rough kiss was placed on his temple over his scar. “Evening Yeøllie,” Baekhyun said in his ear, and Chanyeøl froze. Jumping up, he nearly stumbled over his chair, and he spun around. 

Baëkhyun stared at him, eyes wide with shock. “Are you okay, Chanyeøl?” It was Baëkhyun. Of course it was fucking Baëkhyun. He was in the Red Force base, how could it not have been him. 

They didn’t even _look_ alike. Chanyeøl had never called himself observant, but even he could see the differences. Where Baëkhyun’s white hair was silvery-grey, Baekhyun’s had a golden tinge to it, like he had been kissed by the sun. Baëkhyun’s skin was pale, and Baekhyun was tanned. They even carried themselves differently. Baëkhyun was more poised and graceful, while Baekhyun was heavier on his feet, stiffer, more guarded...

“I think he’s dead.”

“He’s not dead, the doctors broke him. Should we tell Suhø?”

Chanyeøl blinked. Sehůn and Kāi had come over and were standing with Baëkhyun, the three of them staring at him with varying levels of concern (and apathy) on their faces. 

“He moved,” Kāi said. 

“Aren’t you observant,” Chanyeøl mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He was so fucked. 

“Yeøllie, what did they do to you?” Baëkhyun asked, his eyes wide with worry. Fuck, not that expression, he looked too much like him with that face…

“I don’t fucking know. I need fresh air.” Chanyeøl pushed past them. The air was cleaner in the bunker than the polluted fog outside and they all knew it. Thankfully, they didn’t say anything. 

He ran through the hallways to the steel elevator. It wasn’t the only exit out of the underground base, but it was the only one they had access to. As the elevator ascended, Chanyeøl remembered he supposed to be making more of an effort to stay in line. Fuck. 

“Hey, pervert!” He called out to the camera fixed to the ceiling. “I’m going out for a bit.”

“And you need my help with something?” Chën’s voice replied through hidden speakers.

“I’m telling you so Red Force doesn’t get on my arse.” 

Chën hummed. “It’s nighttime. They won’t like it.”

“So make them like it,” Chanyeøl snapped back. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” 

“Try not to have too much fun.”

“As if my nights could even compare to yours,” Chanyeøl snorted. “Chess and going to sleep early, I could never be so wild.”

Chën laughed. “You should try it sometime.”

“I’d rather drink petrol.”

“While that’s not healthy for anyone, I think you’re the last person I’d recommend it to,” Chën said. “You might combust.” 

“The fuck are you talking about? You’d pour it down my throat if you could,” Chanyeøl said. The responding laugh Chën gave told him he wasn’t wrong. 

  


Chanyeøl was grateful he kept the motorbike. The needle was creeping towards empty, but there was enough to get him out of the city. The rumbling engine was deafening in the darkness, and cold air whipped his face. A dull moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting an eerie light across the urban ruins. 

He had to ride slower than he did during the daytime - the bike’s headlight only shone so far and there were endless rows of abandoned vehicles on the road to weave between. He was so focused on riding, Chanyeøl didn’t notice he had retraced the path he took last time until he was back in EXO territory. 

He _really_ wasn't in the mood for a confrontation, nor could he afford to risk one. He just wanted to go somewhere he wouldn’t be bothered…

Chanyeøl took a sharp turn, the bike wheels squealing. Baekhyun said it was on the docks, didn’t he? That would be somewhere west, he just needed to find the coast and follow it. 

Either luck was on his side or his logic was flawless because Chanyeøl found the old amusement park easily. Under the moonlight, the metal structures of the Ferris wheel and roller coaster were complex silhouettes, standing out from the rows of once restaurants and luxury houses.

The amusement park was gated up, but there were several places in the wire fence where scavengers had cut holes to climb through. Chanyeøl dismounted the bike and climbed through the fence.

There was never much movement after the sun went down, but the park seemed particularly silent. Maybe it was just from listening to the roar of the engine, or as Baekhyun had said, no-one was there, cowering in fear he walked past. Either way, the total silence was almost unnerving. 

It felt like Chanyeøl had stepped into a world frozen in time. Drawing a small flame for light, he walked down the sideshow of carnival games - gaping clowns, ring tossings and rifle ranges. Walls were pinned with stuffed toys, weathered and forlorn in the flickering light. 

Reaching out with his other hand, Chanyeøl pulled off a small, lion toy. Its mane was mattered, and it’s plastic eyes stared off in different directions. Poor condition, even during its prime. Chanyeøl squeezed the toy and -

_SQUEEEEEEAK!_

Chanyeøl yelped, jumping in the air as the little lion gave a high pitched squeak. Swearing, he threw the toy away and it bounced off the back wall with another pitiful whine. Someone laughed behind him, and Chanyeøl spun around, his fire flaring up.

“Wait, don’t! It’s just me!”

The area was flooded with bright light, and he saw Baekhyun standing near him, a glowing orb in his hand and a large grin on his face. “Sorry,” he said, “didn’t want to startle you. I was waiting for the right moment.”

“Are you stalking me or something?” Chanyeøl said. His flames flickered down; in comparison to Baekhyun’s light, it was doing little for visibility. 

Baekhyun blinked in surprise. He was wearing the same, worn clothes, but his polished rapier was nowhere to be seen. “No, I was here first. I heard you arrive on your bike, you weren’t exactly quiet.”

“What are you doing here, then?” Chanyeøl asked. 

“I just…” Baekhyun hesitated, “needed some time alone.” 

“Well, I’ll go then,” Chanyeøl said, sarcastically. 

“No!” Baekhyun said quickly. “I didn’t mean you. I just needed some time away from…” He sighed. He looked tired, and the smile on his face fell. “I want to show you something.” 

_How has this happened?_ Chanyeøl wondered. Him and Baekhyun, enemies sworn to fight, were what…? Finding solace in each other’s company? Chanyeøl scoffed at himself. He was so fucking pathetic. 

They left the sideshow alley and walked out into a large congregating area with trees, park benches and oversized, wooden arrows pointing the way to the parks other attractions. A merry-go-round, a pirate ship, the roller coaster. Baekhyun followed the red arrow to the Ferris wheel. 

“The view is nice from up there,” he said, pointing up at it. 

“It works?” Chanyeøl said, incredulously.

Baekhyun smiled at him. “No, but you can climb up. I’ll show you.” 

Chanyeøl wasn’t afraid of heights _per se,_ but climbing up uneven metal bars that creaked loudly underneath his weight made him a little nervous. What kept him going was Baekhyun above him, nimbly climbing up and up without any fear. He couldn’t be seen faltering where EXO didn’t. 

If only EXO were less honourable. They would have wiped out his dumbass long ago. 

“What do you think?” Baekhyun said. He had stopped climbing, waiting for Chanyeøl to catch up. 

Gingerly crouching on the metal beam beside him, Chanyeøl looked around. They had reached the very top of the outer ring, only the gondolas were higher, on pendulum swings. The air felt colder and a breeze blew passed, rustling his hair and jacket. With Baekhyun’s light shining so brightly, all he could see the paint peeling off the rusted frame and white bird shit. Everything beyond was complete darkness. 

“Fucking fantastic,” he grumbled.

Baekhyun beamed at him, his smile as brilliant as the floating light. “I like to come up here when I want to get away. Before, you said you wanted somewhere you wouldn’t be bothered, and I knew you would like it here.” 

Chanyeøl grumbled something unintelligible, mortified as he felt his cheeks heat up. The doctors must have fucked him up even worse than he first thought. Then, he realised what Baekhyun had said. 

“So not even EXO are perfect,” he mused. 

Baekhyun frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You being here. You’d rather be in the company with your enemy than your own EXO brothers.” The grin Chanyeøl gave him was more sinister than friendly. 

Baekhyun's eyes widened in horror. “No, that’s not it at all!” He protested. “I _love_ them! I just… I just needed to get away. I needed time to myself to think.” 

“Oh, I’m sure you do,” Chanyeøl said, mockingly. “At least I know that those assholes I fight with don’t have my back. When our lives are on the line, they won’t protect me nor I, them. But at least we’re fucking honest about it.”

“I will sacrifice my life to protect them,” Baekhyun said, fiercely. 

“Sacrifice yourself for people you can’t even stand being around?” Chanyeøl let out a bark of laughter. “I may have gotten a head injury recently but even I know when one plus two doesn’t equal the bullshit you’re spouting.” 

Baekhyun looked furious. “Stop twisting my words,” he snapped. “I love them more than anything in this world and I will do _anything_ to protect them.” 

Chanyeøl rolled his eyes. It was like talking to a fucking parrot. “Whatever. It’s your funeral,” he said, turning away to look out into the darkness. Yep, he still couldn’t see a thing. The metal beams groaned as Baekhyun shifted over closer to him. His hand brushed against Chanyeøl’s as he gripped the metal. Chanyeøl looked back, surprised to find Baekhyun’s face near his own.

“Someone I love returned recently,” he said, his voice low. “Someone who I thought I’d never see again. I thought he was gone; I had already mourned him. I had accepted the fact he would never come back.”

“Then why are you hiding up here then?” Chanyeøl asked. “Why aren’t you with him and singing love ballads to each other, or whatever shit you do.” 

“Because it’s not the same,” Baekhyun said. He looked so hurt. His big eyes were glistening in the harsh light as he stared at Chanyeøl. _“I’m_ not the same.” 

“Pretty sure you are,” Chanyeøl said. What nonsense was he talking about? He was an original. _The_ original. He wasn’t moulded by latex hands, needles and scalpels, and fluids pumped into his muscles and organs that made him beg for death. He hadn’t been born into this world to serve someone else’s purpose, constantly being forced to change until perfection - _Baekhyun’s_ perfection - was reached. 

“No, I’m not,” Baekhyun snapped. “I’m not the same person he knew, before! He thinks… he _expects_ me to be as joking and lighthearted as I was before, but I _can’t._ It’s my fault the world was nearly destroyed, I could have done more to prevent it from reaching this point. And it still hasn’t ended, we’ve been at war for years now, and…” He sighed, looking defeated. 

Chanyeøl shifted, uncomfortably. There was an unfamiliar feeling gnawing at his stomach, telling him he needed to do something. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“What?” Baekhyun looked up, confused. “Why are you saying sorry?”

“I don’t fucking know! Sorry for destroying the planet?” Chanyeøl swore under his breath. He should have kept his mouth shut. 

Baekhyun looked completely nonplussed. “Are you really sorry?” He wasn’t angry. Why wasn’t he angry? Anger was understandable. It was something Chanyeøl could handle. 

“Maybe. Yes. I don’t know!” Chanyeøl looked around at the bars. Maybe he could start climbing down to escape the conversation. “You’re sad, and it’s my fault, so…” Or he could just jump. That was an option, too. 

A wide smile grew on Baekhyun’s face. His cheeks were rosy pink and his eyes sparkled. He turned away, his head ducking, like was suddenly shy. “Thank you for coming up here with me,” he said. 

“No problem,” Chanyeøl mumbled. He needed to leave. Back to the Red Force base. He opened his mouth to make an excuse (why did he even want to give an excuse?) when Baekhyun’s light vanished, and they were plunged into darkness. 

Chanyeøl’s breath caught in his chest. He was completely blind, at a fatal height, holding only onto rusty metal bars. One wrong move would send him falling to the ground. His hands started sweating and his grip on the bars slipped.

“Hey, don’t do that, you’ll heat up the metal!” 

Baekhyun could fuck off. Chanyeøl needed light and his powers instinctively agreed with him because flames were radiating off his body. Baekhyun scrambled away from him.

“Stop it!” Baekhyun pleaded. 

“Get fucked. I’m not dangling up without a fucking light.”

“There _will be_ light.” Baekhyun sounded so earnest. “Please, trust me.” 

_Trust him._ He asked Chanyeøl to trust him. Why the fuck would he? He was EXO. The enemy. That one fact had been ingrained into him as soon as he understood words; it was the one thing he wasn’t allowed to forget. 

“Chanyeøl…” 

Fuck it. Screwing his eyes shut, Chanyeøl extinguished his flames.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun said, and Chanyeøl bit back the choice words he had for him. “This may take me a minute, please be patient.” 

Chanyeøl opened his eyes. Everything was black. Looking up to the sky, he spotted the moon above him, a faint red ring glowing around it. He refused to blink, grounding himself on the hazy sphere. He felt the metal in his tight grip. His feet were balanced on the beam beneath him. He breathed in deeply. 

Something blinked out of the corner of his eye. Looking down, he saw the lights on the Ferris wheel start to flicker on. Lights of all different colours - red, blue, yellow, green - grew brighter and brighter. Chanyeøl began to see the metal structure around him as the complex shapes of welted metal were lit up by hundreds of lights. 

Turning his head, he looked at Baekhyun beside him. He was glowing in the colourful lights, his eyes closed in concentration. Shadows were cast across his face, highlighting the way his brows were drawn together, how his lips parted slightly… 

Dragging his gaze away, Chanyeøl looked down. More lights flickered on, spreading out from the Ferris wheel. The other rides, the lamps on the path, the fairy lights strung up in the trees and carnival booths. The entire amusement park was shining with thousands of tiny lights. 

Baekhyun slowly opened his eyes and grinned bashfully at Chanyeøl. “What do you think?” 

Chanyeøl’s mouth hung open as he tried to think of a response. “It’s… nice.” Wow. Baekhyun would be so impressed by his eloquence. _It’s nice._ Chanyeøl was a fucking genius. Damn it, he needed to play the concussion card, again. 

But Baekhyun didn’t seem disappointed by his stunted vocabulary. He was still grinning at Chanyeøl, looking pleased. “Do you want to go somewhere more comfortable?” 

“That was an option?” Chanyeøl said incredulously, and Baekhyun laughed. 

Expecting Baekhyun to start climbing down the Ferris wheel, Chanyeøl was in even greater disbelief when Baekhyun pointed up at the nearest gondola. It was large, big enough to stand up in, completely enclosed with metal walls and glass windows. “I’ll go first,” he said, grinning impishly. 

With far more finesse than Chanyeøl managed after, Baekhyun carefully walked along the metal bar to where the gondola was attached. Holding on to the supporting beams, he climbed up to the gondola, opened the door, and hopped inside. 

Exhaling heavily, Chanyeøl followed after him. The gondola rocked alarmingly when he himself inside. But instead of his knees hitting a metal floor, they landed on soft blankets. The entire gondola was decked out in blankets, pillows and cushions.

“You fucking pervert!” Chanyeøl pointed an accusing finger at Baekhyun.

He was sitting crossed-legged on the bench, a cushion in his lap. His eyes widened comically. “W-what?” 

“‘Somewhere more comfortable’ my arse! You were planning this from the start, weren’t you?” 

Catching onto Chanyeøl’s thoughts, Baekhyun started laughing. A loud, belly-aching laugh, as he clutched onto the cushion with tears in his eyes. “N-no, I didn’t,” he spluttered, trying to speak through his laughter. “T-this isn’t… I sleep up here, sometimes.”

“Oh, you sleep up here, huh? What, and you thought I’d like to _sleep_ up here with you, too?” Chanyeøl picked up one of the pillows near him. “Just ask the fucking question next time, don’t play games.” 

“N-no, no, I swear I didn’t -” Baekhyun’s sentence was cut off with a high pitched squeal as Chanyeøl walloped him with the pillow. 

“Fucking unbelievable,” Chanyeøl muttered to himself as Baekhyun continued to laugh himself silly, his arms over his head, his knees drawn up to protect himself from Chanyeøl’s attacks. Huffing, Chanyeøl tossed the pillow away and sat down on the bench.

Peering out the window, Chanyeøl saw the amusement park still lit up below. He wondered if other people could see it. If it would lure the scavengers, or if they had enough sense to stay away. 

Chanyeøl almost jumped when he turned back and found Baekhyun close. He had quietly shuffled over while Chanyeøl was distracted, and was sitting right beside him. He leaned in more, and their knees bumped against one another, their shoulders touching. 

“I need to go,” Chanyeøl mumbled. 

“Can’t you stay a bit longer?” 

Chanyeøl’s mouth was dry, and he swallowed. His eyes darted around, trying to look anywhere but at Baekhyun. “Umm… I need to go back to base. If I’m not back, they’ll come looking for me.”

“They won’t know you’re here,” Baekhyun said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. “I’ll turn the lights off. No-one would know.”

“Y-yes, they would.” Chanyeøl cleared his throat. Fuck, it was hot inside the gondola. He could feel his face heating up, and sweat forming along his collar. “There’s an implant in my spine. Red Force knows where we are at all times.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he recoiled, slightly. “What?” 

“They keep us on a tight leash. It’s dangerous if we step too far out of line. And if they come here looking for me,” Chanyeøl’s sentence lingered, unfinished. 

“You can’t come here too often, then,” Baekhyun said. 

He couldn’t come back at all. Red Force was already doubting him. Running away would have only made it worse, no matter how well Chën covered for him. Even if he and Baekhyun found other places, Red Force would notice his movements in EXO territory. And should they find some way to communicate, and it was discovered…

Baekhyun flinched back as Chanyeøl let out a guttural snarl from deep in his throat. Chanyeøl jumped up, furious. It wasn’t fair! Why was it when he found something he wanted - something that gave him just a spark of happiness in his miserable life - it always taken away from him? 

“Chanyeøl, please calm down. You need to calm down.” 

Baekhyun was talking to him, but Chanyeøl could barely hear him over the blood rushing through his ears, like a roaring fire. He was too hot. He felt trapped in his own skin, like a glass bottle on an open flame, ready to explode. It was how it always went. He got angry and the wrong things happened. Things got destroyed that shouldn’t. People got hurt who shouldn’t have. It was always the same. 

“Chanyeøl! Stop!” 

Arms wrapped around him. He felt the weight against his chest and pressure of Baekhyun’s body pressed to his back. He wasn’t alone. He _needed_ to be alone. But it felt good having Baekhyun holding him, and Chanyeøl fought against the anger inside of him. Everything started to come back into focus for him, again. 

The first thing he recognised was the smell of smoke. 

Around them, the gondola was burning. The blankets and pillows had caught fire from the flames emitting from his body, and sanctuary Baekhyun built himself burned. He felt the arms around him tighten, and his stomach dropped.

As fast as he could, he extinguished the flames, but the black smoke remained. He kicked the door open, and the smoke funnelled out into the open air. Baekhyun clung onto him, coughing. 

Prying his arms away, Chanyeøl turned around. “You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” He snapped at Baekhyun. He forced open the windows, trying to get the smoke out as quickly as possible. 

“... I know.” Baekhyun’s clothes were smouldering. Where he had held Chanyeøl, the fire had burned through the fabric, leaving charred, black holes. 

“Do you have a death wish or something?” Chanyeøl continued, angrily, facing him. “Is that why you gave your self-sacrificing speech earlier? If you want to die, I’ll push you out of this fucking gondola right now.” 

“The fire would have destroyed everything.”

“And you should have let it burn!”

“I couldn’t leave you.”

Chanyeøl snarled and gripped the front of his jacket, dragging Baekhyun close. “Do you want me to hurt you? Because that’s what’s going to happen if you stay too close. Do you want to know what it’ll be like? Has _he_ told you what our fire does? Your skin will melt and your blood will boil in your veins. If you’re lucky, you’ll pass out from the pain before your muscles peel off your bones.” 

Baekhyun struggled to pull back, disgust and horror on his face. Good. He needed to fear him. Chanyeøl couldn’t let anyone close to him, again. He shoved him back and Baekhyun fell onto the remains of the burnt blankets. Chanyeøl knelt down over him, and Baekhyun’s eyes widened. His body was taut, straining to remain still. 

“This is what you’re getting with me, Baekhyun,” Chanyeøl said. He gripped Baekhyun’s head, forcing it up. Chanyeøl pressed his nose against his cheek, trailing down until his face in the crook of his neck. He smelled smoke on his damp skin, and Baekhyun trembled beneath him. “I’m not some feral dog you can train.” 

“I don’t think of you like that,” Baekhyun whispered. 

“No? Tending to my wounds was just you being a fucking philanthropist, then?”

Baekhyun swallowed, the movement exaggerated, so close. Chanyeøl’s breath caught. “You know I only wanted to help you. And I know that you won’t hurt me.” 

That made Chanyeøl throw his head back and laugh, humourlessly. “What the fuck do you call this then?” 

He pressed on Baekhyun’s shoulders, forcing him to lie down. Baekhyun didn’t resist. He was laid out on the ruined blankets, black soot tainting his blonde hair, his chest heaving underneath burnt clothes. 

“It wasn’t intentional,” Baekhyun said, “and you stopped.” 

Chanyeøl put his hands beside Baekhyun’s shoulders, effectively trapping him. Not that he would try to escape. Chanyeøl leaned down. “It won’t make any difference if I was trying to hurt you or not,” he said quietly, and Baekhyun shot up and kissed him. 

His lips pressed against Chanyeøl’s chapped ones roughly, and he whimpered into Chanyeøl’s mouth. What flirted between them was suddenly released, and desire surged through Chanyeøl’s body. Their mouths moved together, messy and desperate as their kiss deepened. Baekhyun gripped the front of Chanyeøl’s shirt, dragging him down closer until their bodies were pressed together.

Chanyeøl bit down on Baekhyun’s lip, worrying it between his teeth, and Baekhyun moaned, twisting his hands tighter into Chanyeøl’s shirt, his hips stuttering up. Chanyeøl felt so hot and his entire body trembled. His hips ground down against Baekhyun’s, who was moaning louder, the sweet sounds goading him on and driving him mad. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he needed to be careful he didn’t set the gondola alight, again. 

Baekhyun’s hips kept thrusting up, trying to get more rough friction. Chanyeøl could feel how hard he was through the layers of clothing and it made his head spin. He slipped a hand underneath Baekhyun’s arse, squeezing tightly through the denim as he forced his hips higher. Baekhyun’s head tilted back, his mouth open and panting. 

Unable to resist the stretch of exposed skin, Chanyeøl dragged his mouth down his neck, leaving a sloppy trail of kisses. “C-Chanyeøl…” Baekhyun whined. Hearing his name spoken like that made Chanyeøl’s heart race. Releasing Baekhyun’s hips, he grabbed his jacket, ripping it open. The burnt fabric gave easily. 

He ran his hands down Baekhyun’s chest, who shivered at the contact. Thank fuck he hasn’t burnt him, only his clothes. Dropping his head, Chanyeøl placed kisses down across the heaving chest, his rough lips and wet tongue leaving tangled trails across the skin before latching onto a dusty nipple. 

Baekhyun made a whimpering shudder, and his hands found their way to Chanyeøl’s pink hair, digging in tightly and pulling on his scalp. Chanyeøl glanced up at him. Baekhyun’s eyes were screwed shut, and he was gnawing on his lip, red and swollen from Chanyeøl before. 

Chanyeøl felt dizzy. Everything he did, Baekhyun responded to. Chanyeøl had power over him. He had control. He was _in_ control. He marvelled at the sight of Baekhyun laid out beneath him, watching him as his eyes fluttered open, meeting Chanyeøl’s gaze, unfocused and heated. 

“I want…” Chanyeøl cleared his throat, as it came out sounding more like a rough growl than words. Baekhyun watched him through hooded eyes. “I want you to touch yourself.”

Baekhyun licked his lips. “Like this?” He asked, huskily. 

A wave of arousal washed over Chanyeøl and he leaned up to kiss him roughly. Baekhyun’s mouth parted for him, letting Chanyeøl devour him. Their tongues touched, and it quickly became heated, again. They started rocking against each other, a desperate attempt to feel one another, and Chanyeøl had to drag his mouth away.

“Stop distracting me,” he growled, sitting up. Baekhyun looked so debauched beneath him, his jacket open and hanging off his shoulders, his hair messy and coated with black soot, his face flushed and lips wet. Chanyeøl nearly forgot what he wanted, again. 

“Undo your pants” he instructed, and Baekhyun complied. Chanyeøl was sitting on his thighs, so he couldn’t take them off, but he got them open and pulled himself out. Chanyeøl’s breath caught, as he watched him fist himself. His hand slowly moved from the flushed, swollen tip down the rigid length. He kept his eyes locked on Chanyeøl the whole time, panting. 

“Fuck,” Chanyeøl cursed. “Fuck.” He dove in to kiss Baekhyun again, who whimpered. He could feel his hand moving between their bodies and could tell when Baekhyun sped up. His knuckles kept brushing against Chanyeøl’s own erection, still trapped in his pants, and feeling it, knowing what he was doing, was simultaneously too much and not enough. 

“Stop.” It was barely even a word that came out of Chanyeøl’s throat. Baekhyun whined, his back arching as he squirmed in protest, but his hand stopped moving. Chanyeøl sat up and tried to open his own trousers, his hands trembling so badly he considered just trying to burn them off, fire-retardant properties be damned. 

Baekhyun shifted and sat up, too. He put his hands over Chanyeøl’s, undoing the fly for him. Chanyeøl dropped his hands away, letting him take over. He let out a loud moan when he felt Baekhyun’s hands touch him. His warm hand was a stark contrast to the cooler air he was suddenly exposed to.

He dropped his head onto Baekhyun’s shoulder, his mind going blank as he started working him. It wasn’t the same as he would touch himself; Baekhyun focused too much on the head, dragging skin over the flushed tip. The pre-cum leaking out made it smoother, but he clenched his teeth so much it made his jaw ache. He was so sensitive it hurt, but he couldn’t tell Baekhyun to stop. 

“Next time…” Baekhyun whispered. His hand tightened and the friction increased, and Chanyeøl made a pathetic sound. “Next time I’ll make sure to have everything we need. Next time we can…”

Chanyeøl bit down on Baekhyun’s shoulder, trying to stifle his groan. It came out a muffled whimper, and he felt Baekhyun shudder beneath him. Baekhyun grabbed his hips, pulling them together. Their erections touched and Chanyeøl let out another groan.

“D-don’t,” Chanyeøl panted, trying to get his tongue to move. It was heavy and unresponsive, and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. “Don’t think about next time. Think about now.”

Baekhyun tried wrapping his hand around them both, but it was too small to work. “With me,” he whispered. “I need your hand, too.” 

Chanyeøl didn’t know what help he would be at this point, but he complied. His fingers linked with Baekhyun’s, letting him control their speed. The gondola was silent except for their heavy breathing and fabric rustling with their movements. 

Just the knowledge it was Baekhyun’s cock pressed against his own, hard and hot because of him (for him), and his hand entwined with Chanyeøl’s was alone almost enough to send him over the edge. He raised his head off Baekhyun’s shoulder to look at him. Their eyes briefly met and they kissed again. Slower, more deliberate, but no less passionate. 

Chanyeøl clutched at Baekhyun’s shoulder, his breath becoming little more than shuddering gasps. Heat started to coil in his stomach, and Chanyeøl panicked, scared he would suddenly lose control and hurt Baekhyun, but Baekhyun whimpered, his name on his lips, and Chanyeøl was suddenly overcome with pleasure as his orgasm hit. 

His cum coated their hands and Baekhyun cries out, his head thrown back and he followed. His grip slackened, and their fingers slowly untangled from their slowly softening lengths. Chanyeøl watched as Baekhyun raised his hand, looking at the mess of their cum on it. He glanced at Chanyeøl, eyes half-lidded and sated, and grinned cheekily. 

“That’s fucking disgusting,” Chanyeøl said, watching Baekhyun lick his fingers. Despite his protest, he couldn’t look away. 

“Well, you burned my blankets. What else am I supposed to do?” Baekhyun said, still grinning.

“You wipe your cum on the blankets?! It’s a good fucking thing I burned them, then,” Chanyeøl said appalled, and Baekhyun laughed. 

A loud thunk reverberated through the gondola, like something heavy landing on metal. The gondola creaked, rocking slightly, and Chanyeøl and Baekhyun looked around it, alarmed.

“Maybe we should go,” Chanyeøl said, feeling nervous, imagining the hinges giving way and the gondola plunging to the ground. Baekhyun nodded in agreement. 

Chanyeøl found a small patch of unburnt fabric in the corner of the gondola, and wiped his and Baekhyun’s hand clean. The sick little bastard only smiled, letting Chanyeøl clean his hand with the blanket scraps. They fixed their clothes (Baekhyun as best he could, given how burnt and now ripped they were) and were ready to leave the gondola. 

“No regrets?” Baekhyun asked, trying to sound nonchalant but not quite managing to hide the worry in his voice. 

“Yeah, I was supposed to be in charge. You took over.” Chanyeøl wanted to sound angrier than he was actually feeling and failed miserably. Instead, it sounded like a grumpy whine. What a pair they were. 

Baekhyun smiled, looking relieved and the tension in his shoulders slackened. He wrapped his arms around Chanyeøl in a hug. “Next time,” he said.

There wouldn’t be a next time. Chanyeøl didn’t say anything. 

The amusement park lights weren’t on anymore, and Chanyeøl had a fairly good idea when Baekhyun stopped paying attention in maintaining them. Baekhyun created a small light, shining on the nearby beams for them to climb onto. Baekhyun went first and Chanyeøl followed.

“Not what I expected to find.”

Chanyeøl nearly fell when he heard the horrifyingly familiar voice. He probably would have slipped off the metal beams if Baekhyun hadn’t grasped his jacket, keeping him upright. They both spun around, facing the person who spoke. 

Kāi was crouched on the roof of the gondola, staring down at them. “Followed the smoke,” he explained. “Expected to find a bit more destruction, though.” His eyes lingered on Baekhyun’s burnt clothes.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Chanyeøl snarled.

“Pick-up duty,” Kāi said. “Your absence was noticed.” 

Chanyeøl felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Sickening dread built up inside him so quickly, he had to consciously stop his powers lashing out in a defensive response. 

“Why aren’t you happy to see me, Yeøllie?” Kāi mocked, a vicious smirk on his face. “Didn’t I arrive at just the right time to help you kill him? Two of us against a lonely EXO at night? The conditions couldn’t be more perfect.” 

Chanyeøl felt Baekhyun’s hand clutch his jacket tighter. There was no point in lying. Kāi knew exactly what happened, and was taunting him. Chanyeøl said fiercely, “you’re not going to attack him.” 

Kāi smiled wider, like Chanyeøl had fallen straight into his trap. “Are you going to fight _me,_ instead?”

Chanyeøl wasn’t prepared for this. He was ready to walk away from Baekhyun and pretend like it never happened. His affair with Baekhyun would be the final nail in his coffin for Red Force. And as shitty as his life was, he wanted to keep living. He accepted that it was a secret he would hold onto for as long as he lived. He never expected it to be exposed before it could even become one. 

“Any chance you don’t tell Red Force?” Chanyeøl tried, weakly.

“None.” Crouched on the gondola above them, Kāi looked like some kind of demonic gargoyle, ready to spring upon them at the slight movement. “I’m so excited, Yeøllie. We can finally fight each other, without any restraints. I can rip your limbs off, and Red Force won’t be able to stop me.” 

Chanyeøl winced and beside him, Baekhyun shifted. “Don’t forget you’re outnumbered,” Baekhyun said to Kāi, coldly. “You’ll be fighting me, too.”

“How cute. I wonder which of you I should kill first. Whose death would hurt the other more?” Kāi mused, watching their reactions. He grinned, and stood up. “But who am I to deny the others an opportunity like this? Enjoy the little time you have left with your EXO, Yeøllie, because we’re definitely going to have fun hunting you down.” 

Kāi vanished, and Chanyeøl was left frozen, clinging onto the Ferris wheel. 

“Let’s get down,” Baekhyun said. “Come on, Chanyeøl.” 

It was only at the bottom, when his feet touched the concrete that Chanyeøl realised why he was having trouble breathing, and why his hands were shaking so much. 

“You’re okay. You’re okay, Chanyeøl,” Baekhyun murmured, brushing his fingers through his hair as Chanyeøl crouched on the ground, his breath coming out in short, fast gasps. “Deep breaths.”

“T-they’re going to kill me.” Chanyeøl was trembling so badly his voice shook. “Red Force is going to send them to kill me.”

“They won’t kill you, Chanyeøl,” Baekhyun said, firmly. He crouched down in front of him and pulled him into a tight hug. “I won’t let them.” 

Chanyeøl gave a hysterical laugh. Fuck, he was going to cry. “What, like EXO are just going to accept me? We walk into your base holding hands and they accept it, no questions asked?”

Baekhyun was silent for a long moment. “There will be a lot of questions,” he finally said, “and they won’t simply welcome you with open arms. But they _will._ I know they will.”

“They’re going to kill me, too.” Chanyeøl had never felt so pathetic in his entire life. He was almost crying in the arms of an EXO after betraying Red Force for him. He fucking deserved whatever happens next to him, be it at the hands of his now-former allies, or EXO.

Baekhyun cupped his face, forcing him to look up. He held his gaze unwaveringly, eyes shining with fierce determination. “They will _not_ harm you. I'll protect you, Chanyeøl. I won't let anyone hurt you."

“And what happens when EXO doesn’t accept me?” He was _not_ crying. It was just late-stage symptoms of the concussion making him think he was bleeding, again. All over his cheeks. 

“Then we’ll work out something else,” Baekhyun said. “Together.” 

Chanyeøl dropped his head, clutching onto Baekhyun’s jacket. What did he do to deserve this? He didn’t deserve this. He was rude and volatile, he had an awful temper, and he hurt people both intentionally and by accident. No-one in their right mind would want to be with him. “You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” He said, his voice raw. 

He couldn’t see his face, but he knew Baekhyun was holding back laughter from the way his chest started shaking. “And you’re the one fucking an idiot.” 

Chanyeøl shoved him off as Baekhyun laughed loudly. “You've been saving that, haven't you? Fucking weirdo.”   
  


  



End file.
